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“Grasses are the hair of Mother Earth”
-- Karl Foerster

Few plants on Earth are more versatile or have a greater impact on the environment than grasses. They are major
contributors to the total net photosynthesis and production of biomass in the world. They tame the erosive splash of
raindrops, stabilize soil and assist the infiltration of water into the ground and aquifers. They interact ecologically
with a diverse number of flora and fauna, both above and below ground, including insects, fungi, birds and mammals.
Many insects, for example, rely on native grasses as a substrate on which they lay their eggs or as a larval food source in
order to complete their life cycles. These same insects, in turn, are eaten by birds and mammals higher up the food chain.
Many species of mammals, birds and insects also rely on grasses for shelter and nesting materials.

No other plant has played a more vital role in the development of civilization than grasses. For thousands of years, wild
grasses have been cultivated and domesticated for human consumption and as feedstock for livestock and herds of wild
animals. Most of the cultivated grains we use today, including wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, rice, millet and sorghum,
were developed from wild native grasses. Over the years, plant breeders and agronomists have made dramatic improvements
in grain yields. One of the most notable was Norman Borlaug, an Iowa-born scientist and winner of the 1970 Nobel
Peace Prize. He developed a high-yielding disease-resistant wheat that helped feed the world and saved millions of people
in impoverished nations from starvation.

The grass family, Poaceae, is the fourth-largest plant family on Earth, with more than 10,000 species. Globally, grasses
grow in all terrestrial habitats, including forests, glades, savannas, open deserts, prairies, wetlands, stream banks and
floodplains. Yet grasses are relatively young plants in terms of their evolutionary history. The earliest evidence of fossilized
grass pollen was found in South America and dates to the Paleocene Epoch, 55 to 65 million years ago. To put this in
perspective, dinosaurs never ate grasses because grasses evolved after dinosaurs were extinct.

The southeastern United States is home to about 1,400 native grass species. Many of these species are managed for erosion
control or wildlife habitats. Others have been domesticated as pasture grasses and other types of animal forage, such
as grain or baled hay. A few species, such as Muhly Grass, Switchgrass and River Oats, have become popular in the landscape
trade.

This publication describes and illustrates 48 grasses and 10 sedges native to Georgia. It is not the intent of the authors to
describe all native grasses and sedges, but those that are most widespread or those having practical application for wildlife
habitats, erosion control, restoration projects or landscape culture. A few of the plants are noted as being weedy or
invasive and may not be appropriate for use in cultivated landscapes. Nonetheless, they are included to assist the reader in
identifying them because they are abundant in the wild.

This publication further separates grasses into two categories: warm-season grasses and cool-season grasses. Warm-season
grasses begin growing when daily temperatures are between 60°F and 65°F. They grow in the summer, flower and fruit in
the fall, and then go dormant after the first frost. Examples are Broomsedge, Bluestems and Indian Grasses. Cool-season
grasses grow in the late fall, winter and early spring, flower and fruit in the late spring, then go dormant in the summer.
Examples include Oatgrasses, Witchgrasses and Bluegrasses.

Grasses vs. Sedges

Grasses and sedges belong to two different plant families. They are sometimes difficult to tell apart, but they can be distinguished
from one another by differences in their structures, habitats or life cycles.

Grass stems are typically round or flat and hollow inside, while those of sedges are triangular and solid inside.

Grasses have swollen nodes or joints along their stems, while sedges do not.

Grasses produce both vegetative and floral stems, while sedges produce only floral stems.

The leaves of grasses are usually two-ranked, which means they occur in two rows on opposite sides of the stems,
while the leaves of sedges are three-ranked and occur in three vertical planes along the stems.

The flowers of many grasses are showy, but those of many sedges tend to be inconspicuous.

Grasses are most abundant in dry, open habitats, while sedges prefer moist to wet areas.

Grasses can be either annuals or perennials, but sedges are primarily perennials.

Establishing and Managing a Native Grass Meadow

Whether one is interested in the ecological management of an existing native grassland, converting an old pasture to a
more diverse mixture of forbs (broadleaf herbaceous plants) and native grasses, establishing native grasses under utility
easements or incorporating native grasses into a cultivated landscape, a great deal of planning is required to do the job
properly. Creating a native grass meadow is a lot different from planting a mono-culture lawn with just one type of grass.
Natural grass communities are diverse ecosystems with many different grasses growing in harmony with a variety of
forbs. Grasses typically occupy between 65 percent and 70 percent of the total space.

Listed below are some suggested guidelines for planning, establishing and managing a native grass meadow. Each one has
many alternatives and options.

Analyze the site

Identify and make a list of ALL of the existing plants on the site, including native plants, exotic plants and weeds, as
well as cool-season and warm-season annuals or perennials.

Determine the sunlight exposure throughout the day.

Note the topography and drainage of the site, including slopes, elevated areas that might stay drier than surrounding
areas, and low spots where water can collect after rain.

Determine the size of the area to be planted. There are 43,560 square feet in 1 acre.

Take a sample of the soil and have it tested through the state soil testing laboratory. There is a nominal fee for this
service (for information on soil sampling and testing, see http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/soiltest123/Georgia.htm). A soil test
provides recommendations for lime and fertilizer prior to planting. However, while lime may be required to achieve the
proper pH in the soil for optimum plant growth, fertilizer is not recommended for native grass meadows because it will
encourage weeds that compete with grasses.

Make note of any existing plants that have to be eliminated before the meadow can be established. If the site is overgrown
with invasive plants, brush or scrub trees, it may be a candidate for restoration instead of rehabilitation. On the
other hand, if the site contains a significant number of native plants, then adding a few native grasses to increase the
diversity of the site may be all that is needed.

Right-of-ways under power lines will require frequent monitoring during establishment because birds roosting on the
lines and mammals grazing on plants in the open field may introduce unwanted weed seeds.

Observe plant communities adjacent to the planting site and the potential for wind, water or wildlife to transport seeds
from those communities into the grass meadow.

Determine your budget and equipment needs

Determine early in the planning process how much money the project costs and how much time and energy must be
devoted to the project, not only for the initial installation, but also for follow-up management.

Determine the types of plants or seeds needed and their costs. Some grasses can be established from seeds, while others
can be established from plugs (small well-rooted plants grown from seed). Consider the cost of each of these alternatives.
Seeds or plugs will need to be ordered in advance. Some native grasses simply are not available in the trade,
so seeds or plants must be harvested from the wild. Often this requires the assistance of a knowledgeable botanist to
identify plants and to determine the best time to harvest seeds or plants. Sometimes the Georgia Native Plant Society
(www.gnps.org) or the Georgia Botanical Society (www.gabotsoc.org) sponsor field trips for persons interested in
collecting native plants or seeds. It is illegal to harvest seeds or plants from private property without first obtaining
permission from the landowner, and the collection of plants or seeds from land owned by federal or state agencies is
prohibited. Most native grasses available from nurseries are propagated from seed.

A mower will be required during establishment to prevent annual weeds from competing with and shading out the new
plants. A mower that can be adjusted to a cutting height of 5 to 6 inches is ideal.

A sprayer for applying herbicides will be needed to eliminate unwanted vegetation prior to planting or to target specific
weeds during establishment.

Large restoration sites may require cultivation at two-week intervals prior to planting to eliminate unwanted vegetation.
A contractor may be required for these large tasks, which will add to the cost.

Plan for a diverse plant community that matches the site conditions

The typical Southeastern grass meadow is a mixture of both cool-season grasses and warm-season grasses, a few
sedges and a variety of forbs, like legumes, sunflowers, mints, goldenrods and milkweeds. Make certain the newly
introduced plants require the same sunlight exposure, soil type and drainage as that of the existing native vegetation.

Including a variety of forbs along with grasses will create a more natural balanced environment. However, make certain
the mature heights of the forbs added to the mix do not exceed those of the grasses. Otherwise, shading can occur,
and the grasses will struggle to get established.

Where weeds are a problem, a mixture of grasses and forbs that are taller or more aggressive than the weeds may be
needed.

Options when preparing the site

If any type of soil disturbance is done, expect weed seed germination. Regular cultivation for one or two growing
seasons prior to planting may be necessary to reduce weed competition. A combination of disking and shallow cultivation
can be effective. Disking places some weed seeds too deeply in the soil to germinate. Light cultivation six to eight
weeks after disking will kill any newly geminated weeds on the soil surface. Repeat these steps as necessary.

Sites dominated by weeds may require an aggressive approach using a combination of cultivation to encourage weed
seed germination and herbicide applications to kill the newly germinated weeds. Repeated herbicide applications will
gradually deplete the weed seed bank in the soil and reduce successive weed populations.

In some areas, controlled burning to eliminate existing vegetation is allowed. Check with your local office of the Georgia
Forestry Commission to determine whether controlled burning is allowed in your area and the requirements for
doing it.

Heat sterilization (solarization) is another option for small areas. This involves placing sheets of clear plastic over the
unwanted vegetation and sealing it along the edges with soil or rocks. The elevated temperatures under the plastic will
kill herbaceous weeds, but it may not eliminate established woody vegetation. This technique works best during the
warm summer months.

Planting

When purchasing seeds or plants, make certain they are adapted to your geographical region. Plants produced from
seed harvested from native grasses growing in the western prairies or desert regions of the U.S. may not be well adapted
to the Southeast, even if the species is recommended for the area. Botanists and horticulturists often refer to “ecotypes”
that are subspecies or varieties adapted to a particular set of environmental conditions. A plant’s place of origin
or “provenance” is known to influence the adaptability of its offspring to a particular set of environmental conditions.

Warm-season grasses are best planted from April to June, while cool-season grasses do best when planted from September
to October.

On sites prone to erosion, a cover crop, such as winter wheat (an annual), may need to be planted along with the
grasses and forbs to help stabilize the soil during establishment.

Plant forbs in colonies of several plants between the grasses. Clusters of forbs will not only be more visible, but also
will do a better job of attracting pollinators.

Seeds need to be in contact with the soil for best germination. When planting plugs, place the crown (the area between
the base of grass blades and the roots) slightly below ground level.

Native grasses grow well in soils having low fertility. Avoid fertilizing after planting because it will encourage weed
competition.

Supplemental irrigation may be necessary during periods of limited rainfall for at least three to six weeks while the
seeds are germinating and the plants are establishing.

Management

Managing a grass meadow requires annual observations as to how the plants are moving around, re-seeding and spreading.
Also observe the balance of grasses to forbs and make note of unwanted weeds. A grass meadow is an ever-changing
panorama as the balance of grasses to forbs is influenced by changing weather patterns and new plants introduced by
passing wildlife or wind. Unlike a highly manicured cultivated landscape that is carefully managed and manipulated by
mowing, pruning and fertilization, Mother Nature manages a native grass meadow.

One of the greatest challenges is to distinguish the good weeds from the bad weeds. Some weeds are tame and offer
little competition for the grasses and forbs. Others are considered “thugs” that spread rapidly from rhizomes or seeds and are hard to control. Examples are Burdock, Yellow Star Thistle (annual), Canada Thistle, Bermudagrass, Nutgrass,
Crab Grass (annual), Crown Vetch, Canada Goldenrod, Johnsongrass and Chinese Lespedeza.

In natural environments, grass meadows are managed by grazing from wildlife or livestock, or they are burned back by
wildfires or controlled burns. Occasional mowing to a height of 5 to 6 inches can substitute for grazing. Mowing from
late May through June will scatter seeds and rejuvenate cool-season grasses, then mowing again in late winter will
scatter seeds and rejuvenate warm-season grasses. To encourage forbs to seed in and multiply, rake off the residue after
mowing. Raking scatters the seeds of forbs, helps seed-to-soil contact and allows light to reach the new plants. Otherwise,
if the planting is well-balanced with grasses and forbs, leave the mowing residue in place to act as natural mulch.

Controlled burning is an alternative to mowing in areas where outdoor burning is allowed. Check with your local division
of the Georgia Forestry Commission for laws and regulations regarding controlled burns. Annual burning once the
grass meadow is fully established (three to five years after planting) will rejuvenate the planting.

Guide to Plant Descriptions

Native grasses and sedges described in this publication are listed alphabetically according to their botanical name. Grasses
are divided into two categories: warm-season grasses and cool-season grasses. The appendix contains a Guide for Selecting
Native Grasses and Sedges according to their growing requirements and usages. Information on each plant is provided
according to the following criteria:

Common Name(s) / Botanical Name: Many of the plants have more than one common name. Those that are most often
used are listed. For this publication, Flora of Southern and Mid-Atlantic States by Alan S. Weakley, North Carolina Herbarium,
was used as the definitive source for botanical names. Plants that were re-classified into a new genus also show
the previous botanical name in the form of a synonym (syn.) after the current name.

Life Cycle: Native grasses may be annuals or perennials, while sedges are perennials. Annuals flower, fruit and die in one
growing season. Perennials flower and fruit each year, and they live for several years.

Characteristics: This section provides a botanical description of the plant that will assist the reader in identifying it.
Noteworthy characteristics such as growth habit, leaf arrangement or shape, flower type and color, and seed structure are
provided.

Cultural Requirements: A description of the type of growing environment the plant needs to thrive, such as the light
level, soil type and soil conditions, is provided. Other information useful in managing the plant, such as pruning to remove
old foliage prior to new growth or pruning before seed set to prevent seed dispersal, is included where appropriate.

Time of Bloom: The months of the year when the plant typically flowers in Georgia.

Suggested Uses: Some grasses are used for controlling erosion or restoring disturbed sites. Others are used in wildlife
habitats. Still others may have ornamental value and are used in cultivated landscapes. The growing requirements and native
habitat of the plant are considered when providing suggested uses.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: The Cold Hardiness Zones in Georgia to which the plant is adapted are shown here. These
zones are based on the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone Map for the United States. Figure 2 shows
the 2012 Cold Hardiness Zones for Georgia.

Native To: A general description of the region within the continental U.S. where the plant is presently found in its native
habitat.

Comments: Additional information about the plant that the reader may find interesting.

Botanical Terms Used to Describe Grass and Sedge Plants

Terminology used to describe the parts of grasses and sedges differs from that of herbaceous or woody plants. The illustrations
in figures 1, 2 and 3 show terms commonly used to describe the parts of grasses and sedges, followed by definitions
of the terms used in the figures. A glossary at the end of this publication provides the reader with additional definitions of
terms used elsewhere in this publication.

Definitions of Terms Shown in the Figures

Achene: A dry single-seeded fruit.Awn: A bristle-like appendage on a floret or seed, often the extension of veins in glumes or lemmas.Anther: The male floral part in which pollen is produced.Blade: The broad, flattened portion of the leaf.Bract: A modified leaf at the base of the ovary. It is also called a scale.Bristles: Reduced or modified leaves with numerous hairs, usually in association with the ovary.Callus: A thickened raised area of hardened tissue.Collar: The outside area of a grass leaf where the blade and sheath join.Crown: The basal portion of the plant just above ground level.Culm: A hollow or pithy stalk or stem.Filament: The stalk of the male portion of a flower to which the anther is attached.First glume: The lower of the two glumes and just below the first floret. It is usually the smaller of the two glumes, or it
may be entirely absent.Floret: A unit within a grass spikelet usually comprised of a lemma, palea, two to three lodicules and the grass reproductive
parts.Glumes: The lower one or two sterile bracts at the base of a spikelet.Inflorescence: A collective term used to describe the overall floral part of the plant.Internode: The portion of the culm between two nodes.Lemma: The lower of the two bracts enclosing a flower (floret) above the glumes. It is the most modified of the bracts
and the last to disappear.Ligule: A membranous structure on the adaxial leaf surface adjacent to the sheath.Lodicules: Modified (reduced) perianth parts.Nerve: The vein of a glume.Node: The joint of a grass stem (culm) where the leaves and branches originate.Ovary: Part of the flower that encloses the ovules containing seeds.Palea: The inner of the two bracts, enclosed by the edges of the lemma.Pedicel: The stalk of a single flower.Pistil: The female floral part.Rachilla: The secondary axis of a compound leaf or inflorescence.Scale: Leaflike structure found at the base or outside of the flower. It is also called a bract.Second glume: The glume opposite to the first, usually larger glume. When the first is lacking, the second glume is on the
opposite side of the first floret.Sheath: The lower part of a grass leaf that encloses the stem.Shoot: The above-ground portion of a plant.Spikelet: An inflorescence with one or two glumes at the base and containing one or more florets.Stamen: The male part of a flower.Stigma: The distal end of the style, which is receptive to pollen.Style: Pollen tube connecting the stigma to the ovary.Stolon: A horizontal above-ground stem that roots along its nodes. It is also called a runner.Rhizome: A horizontal underground stem.

Warm-season Grasses

Upland Bentgrass, Autumn Bentgrass / Agrostis perennans

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: A tufted grass having unbranched, leafy
light-green culms. Leaf blades are medium green, 1/8 to 1/4
inch wide and 2 to 10 inches long. At the junction of each
blade and sheath there is a white membranous liqule. The
nodes along each culm are green and swollen. Each fertile
culm terminates in an open branched panicle, 3 to 12 inches
long and 1 1/2 to 6 inches wide, having a zigzag rachis. Each
spikelet has two prominent glumes that resemble a pair of
tiny claws. The green inflorescence is more open and airy in
shady locations, and it turns tan in fall. The plant self-seeds
and forms small colonies. The root system is fibrous.

Cultural Requirements: This grass adapts to a wide variety
of cultural conditions, from moist to dry soils in full sun to
light shade.

Time of Bloom: September, with spikelets persisting
through October.

Suggested Uses: Use Upland Bentgrass in open areas, such
as right of ways and meadows.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall

Habitat: Dry or moist thickets, rocky open woodlands,
thinly wooded bluffs, wooded openings, prairie swales. In
woodlands, it is often found growing at the base of deciduous
trees.

Native To: Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas and north
to North Dakota.

Comments: A number of caterpillars feed on the foliage, and
the seeds are eaten by a variety of birds and mammals. The
foliage is grazed by livestock.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown, NRCSUSDA
Plants Database

Dropseed Native Plant Nursery

Gary P. Flemming, Digital Atlas of Virginia Flora

Illinois Wildflowers

Big Bluestem, Turkeyfoot / Andropogon gerardii

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Big Bluestem is a tall bunch prairie grass
often used for grassland restoration in the central and southern
plains. It makes premium hay. Leaves are up to 2 feet long and
½ inch wide. Lower leaves are hairy near their bases. Flower
clusters are spike-like racemes with purple, brownish purple,
yellow or brownish yellow coloration. The flowers rise above
the foliage in late summer and branch from one central point
into three 4-inch-long segments that some say resemble a turkey’s
foot. The internodes of flowering stems have a barberpole
appearance with rosy or creamy coloration alternating
with green. Leaves take on a purple hue in fall and are russet
in winter.

Cultural Requirements: Big Bluestem prefers full sun to
partial shade and moist, well-drained soils. Once established,
it is drought-tolerant. It also can tolerate periodic flooding.
When given too much shade, too much water or too much
fertilizer it will flop over and look unsightly. It spreads by seed
and can be aggressive under good cultural conditions. Mow or
cut back the plant in late winter to make way for new spring
growth. It also comes back well after controlled burning.

Time of Bloom: August through September, with showy fruit
from late September through November.

Suggested Uses: Use Big Bluestem in sunny meadows, open
woodlands, wildlife habitats or sunny perennial borders. Its
large stature, blue-green foliage, branched seed-heads and russet
winter color add visual interest to the landscape. The plant
also provides winter protection and food for birds and small
mammals. It also is useful for erosion control on slopes.

Native To: Most of eastern North America, as far west as
Montana and Arizona.

Comments: The flowering stems and leaf sheaths of most of
the Andropogon species have a bluish cast on their emerging
culms in the spring, so the plants are commonly called
Bluestems. Big Bluestem is a larval host for the Delaware
Skipper and Dusted Skipper butterflies. It also provides cover
and nesting sites for a variety of songbirds. Big Bluestem was
once the dominant prairie grass covering a large portion of the
Midwest. It was the predominant food source for the millions
of bison that once roamed the Great Plains. When settlers
plowed under Big Bluestem on their western migration, there
was nothing left to keep the dirt from blowing away, so the
loss of this plant is said to have contributed to the historic
Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Big Bluestem is also a Southeastern
grass, especially in the Coastal Plain. It is less common in the
Piedmont. It is quick to establish from plugs or seeds planted
in late winter or early spring.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Jennifer Anderson

Jennifer Anderson

Lady Bird Johnson Wildlflower Center

Ed McDowell

Ed McDowell

Bushy Bluestem / Andropogon glomeratus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Bushy Bluestem is a narrow bunch grass
with flattened blue-green linear leaf blades up to 10 inches
long and ¼ to ½ inch wide. In late summer, dense, silvery
pink to white panicles are borne on the terminals of culms.
After the first frost, the foliage and panicles turn bronze and
the panicles become fluffy.

Cultural Requirements: Bushy Bluestem prefers full sun
and moist to wet soils. It is not tolerant of dry sites. Cut
clumps back to the ground in late winter to make way for
new spring growth.

Time of Bloom: September. Fruiting stalks linger through
February.

Suggested Uses: Bushy Bluestem is a handsome grass for
moist, low-lying areas. It provides good erosion control on
slopes. Foliage is a larval food source for butterflies, and
birds and other wildlife relish the seeds in winter. The plant
can spread aggressively under ideal cultural conditions.

Characteristics: Elliott’s Bluestem is not a very abundant
grass where it is found, but it is one of the most conspicuous
of all the bluestems. It is a small bunch grass. In the
fall, large inflated spathes surround the inflorescences and
give the plant a top-heavy look. Inner surfaces of these
spathes are copper colored, smooth and shiny.
Cultural Requirements: Elliot’s Bluestem prefers full sun
to partial shade. It will grow on both moist and dry sites
and poor soils.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Use Elliot’s Bluestem in dry, open meadows,
open woodlands, on hills or in wildlife habitats.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall

Habitat: Dry to moist open pine or oak woodlands, fields
and roadsides.

Native To: New Jersey, west to Illinois, south to Texas and
east to Florida.

Comments: Elliot’s Bluestem is grazed readily by cattle
and has a high protein content when it is green. This grass
is quick to establish from plugs. Seeds of this grass are
expensive.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Florida Grasses.org

James Miller, USDA PLANTS Database

Ed McDowell

Splitbeard Bluestem, Silver Bluestem / Andropogon ternarius

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Stems have alternating stripes of rose and
green along their internodes. They bear narrow blue-green
leaves that turn bronze in the fall. In late summer, silverywhite
fluffy seed heads are borne along the upper portions
of the stems.

Cultural Requirements: Splitbeard Bluestem likes hot,
dry sites, full sun to partial shade and infertile sandy soil.
Cut plants back in late winter to make way for new spring
growth.

Time of Bloom: September

Suggested Uses: Splitbeard Bluestem is a good plant for
wildflower meadows, open woodlands or wildlife habitats.
It is often mixed with broomsedge in roadside fields. It
looks striking in the early morning light.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: Prairies, meadows, savannas and open woodlands.

Native To: New Jersey, south to Florida, west to Texas, and
north to Kansas and Missouri.

Comments: Seeds are eaten by a variety of birds and small
mammals. Rabbits browse the foliage. Seed tufts also are
used by birds for nesting materials. Tufted stems hold up
well in dry floral arrangements. The plant is somewhat slow
to establish from plugs or seeds.

Broomsedge / Andropogon virginicus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Broomsedge is a bunch-forming grass.
Young stems are green when young, turn coppery bronze
as they mature, then fade to tan in fall and winter. Leaves
are folded in the shoot and lack auricles at their bases.
Leaf blades are approximately ¼ inch wide and 4 to 24
inches long. They are hairy near their bases. In the fall, thin
panicles of flowers are produced on the upper half of stems,
but they are surrounded by leaves and somewhat hidden.
The flowers are inconspicuous until the hairy spikelets start
to emerge, dispersing their seeds into the wind.

Cultural Requirements: Broomsedge prefers full sun or
partial shade and well-drained soil. It will adapt to both
moist and dry sites. It can be controlled with a herbicide
should it escape to areas where it is not wanted.

Time of Bloom: September to November

Suggested Uses: Broomsedge is not recommended for
cultivated landscapes because it can be invasive. It is considered
an exotic invasive plant in Hawaii and California.
However, it is an excellent plant for use in wildlife habitats
as well as meadow and prairie restoration projects. It also
is an excellent plant for reclaiming disturbed land, such
as mining sites and landfills. It provides excellent erosion
control on slopes.

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Habitat: Dry fields, thin woods and the shores of ponds.

Native To: Massachusetts, west to Michigan, Illinois and
Iowa, south to Texas and east to Florida. It is also found in
the District of Columbia.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Forest and Kim Starr, Starr Environmental,
Bugwood.org

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service,
Bugwood.org

John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University,
Bugwood.org

Ken Chamberlain, The Ohio State University,
Bugwood.org

Arrowfeather Threeawn / Aristida purpurascens

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Arrowfeather Threeawn is a clumping
grass with stiffly erect culms. Leaves are alternate, 4 to 8
inches long and less than 1/8 inch wide, curled, with a few
hairs at their bases. In late summer, purplish-gray panicles,
4 to 12 inches long, are borne on the terminal of nodding
culms. Flowers are minute and barely visible to the naked
eye. Spikelets have pronounced awns, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.
They drop off a few weeks after the seeds ripen. There are
barb-like hairs at the base of seeds that help them anchor to
the soil.

Cultural Requirements: Arrowfeather Threeawn grows
in full sun to partial shade and dry, well-drained sandy or
limestone soils. It adapts to poor soils and is drought-tolerant
once established. It spreads readily by seed, so cut back
plants before seed set to prevent re-seeding.

Time of Bloom: August to October

Suggested Uses: This grass is primarily used in natural
landscapes and habitat restorations.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 24 to 30 inches tall

Habitat: Pinelands, prairies and uplands. It is rare in the
mountains.

Native To: The eastern United States.

Comments: Arrowfeather Threeawn is the larval host for
Meske’s Skipper butterfly. It is the most common wiregrass
in the Piedmont. This grass is easy to establish from plugs.
Seeds are not readily available.

Characteristics: Southern Wiregrass is a fine-textured
bunch grass. Leaf blades are approximately 3 feet long and
1/8 inch wide. The blades are hairy, rolled and appear wirelike.
The foliage turns chartreuse-yellow in fall. Fire during
the growing season encourages flowering. Flowers are tiny
and held close to the flower stalk. Each seed has three distinct
hair-like awns protruding from one end that look like
blades of a helicopter. They help the seeds float in breezes.

Cultural Requirements: Southern Wiregrass prefers sandy,
dry soil and full sun to partial shade. Cut the plant back
in late winter to encourage new growth. Controlled burning
encourages flowering and production of mature seed.

Time of Bloom: Summer

Suggested Uses: Southern Wiregrass is used in habitat restoration
projects. It also can be used in perennial borders,
rock gardens, meadows and open woodlands.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 8, 9 (Coastal Plain)

Size: 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide

Habitat: Sandhills, flatwoods and dry prairies in the
Coastal Plain. It is a dominant understory plant in longleaf
pine savannahs. It is an excellent plant for helping with
vegetation management during controlled burning because
it burns evenly at the appropriate intensity to kill unwanted
vegetation in the understory.

Native To: South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and
Mississippi.

Comments: Wiregrass grows in habitats favored by gopher
tortoises and quail. It provides valuable cover for birds,
reptiles and small mammals. The Seminole Indians used
this plant to make baskets. Several other Aristida species,
both annual and perennial, grow in Georgia. All are characterized
by three awns on their seed heads and tan curly
leaves at their bases.

Side Oats Grama / Bouteloua curtipendula

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is a dense clumping grass with
weeping foliage. Leaf blades are narrow, bluish-green, up
to 12 inches long and ¼ inch wide. They turn golden brown
with a rosy hue in fall. In late summer, numerous spikelets
are borne along one side of arching stems that rise above
the foliage. The spikelets turn tan in late summer and persist
into fall.

Cultural Requirements: Side Oats Grama prefers full sun
to partial shade and dry soil having a neutral to slightly alkaline
pH. It adapts well to variety of soil types, from clay
loams to sandy or rocky areas.

Time of Bloom: July and August

Suggested Uses: This is a good plant for erosion control on
slopes or right-of-ways, prairie restoration, wildlife gardens
or wildflower meadows. It also is a nice accent plant in
perennial borders. Taller grasses often crowd out this grass,
so plant it with small, non-aggressive species.

Native To: All the U.S., except Nevada, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire and Vermont.

Comments: Side Oats Grama is the state grass of Texas.
The plant is a food source for the larvae of several butterflies,
and the seeds are eaten by a variety of birds. The
foliage is grazed by a number of mammals and used by
birds as nesting material. It is highly regarded in the shorter
grasslands of North America as a forage plant. However, it
also is an attractive ornamental plant for use in cultivated
landscapes.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University,
Bugwood.org

Ed McDowell

Sweet Wood Reed, Stout Wood Reed / Cinna arundinacea

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Small tufts of erect blue-green culms bear
grayish-green leaves 12 inches long and ½ inch wide. The
leaf blades tend to droop toward their tips. In late summer,
each culm terminates in a gray-green panicle up to 12 inches
long and 5 inches across. The spikelets have a reddishbrown
hue. The root system is fibrous and rhizomatous.

Suggested Uses: Use Sweet Wood Reed for erosion control,
in storm-water retention ponds or in wildlife habitats
and natural areas.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 3 to 5 feet tall

Habitat: Maine, south to Georgia, west to Texas and north
to North Dakota and Montana.

Native To: Wooded floodplains, swamps, thickets and
damp savannas.

Comments: This is a tall, attractive grass. Birds and small
mammals use the plant for food, cover and nesting material.

A. S. Hitchcock, NRCS-USDA Plants Database

Emmet J. Judziewicz,
Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Illinois Wildflowers

Paul Drobot, Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Bigtop Lovegrass, Stout Lovegrass / Eragrostis hirsuta

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaves are mostly basal, up to 12 inches
long and ¼ to ½ inch wide. They are hairy where they
join the stem. This bunch grass is barely visible until late
August when showy panicles, 4 to 5 feet high and 2 feet
wide, rise above the foliage. The silvery-green lacy plumes
bear seeds tinged with purple. The inflorescence is airy
and floats like a cloud above the foliage. The plant turns
whitish-tan in fall.

Cultural Requirements: Bigtop Lovegrass prefers full sun
and well-drained soil. It tolerates poor, infertile soil and
has good drought tolerance. Seeds are dust-like, germinate
readily and can be directly seeded.

Time of Bloom: Late August into October

Suggested Uses: This is an excellent grass for use with
larger, more dominant grasses. The airy seed heads allow
adjacent plants in bloom to be seen.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide.

Habitat: Sandy, dry soils. It is mostly found in the Coastal
Plain.

Native To: Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, south to
Florida, west to Texas and north to Illinois and Ohio.

Comments: The fluffy panicles catch the morning dew
and sparkle in the sun. This attractive fall bloomer could be
used more often in grass seed mixes.

Purple Lovegrass / Eragrostis spectabilis

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is a fine-textured bunch-forming
grass with a stiffly erect growth habit. The leaf sheaths are
longer than the internodes and usually hairy at their tops.
Leaf blades are up to 12 inches long and 1/8 to 3/8 inches
wide, tapering to a fine point. In August, reddish-purple
panicles, up to 15 inches long and 20 inches across, rise
above the foliage. The panicles are open and airy and have
a cloud-like appearance. The panicles turn purplish by late
October, then detach from the plant in winter and disperse
in the wind like tumbleweed to establish new colonies.
Plants spread by seeds and short rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Purple Lovegrass prefers full
sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. It tolerates poor,
infertile soil and has good drought tolerance. It is intolerant
of heavy, wet soils.

Time of Bloom: August to October

Suggested Uses: The plant makes an attractive showing
when planted in groups in perennial borders, meadows or
open woodlands. It is often used for erosion control on
banks.

Native To: Maine, south to Florida, west to Arizona and
north to North Dakota.

Comments: This grass is generally inconspicuous until it
blooms. The panicles have a purple glow when dew droplets
on the spikelets reflect the morning sun. Purple Lovegrass
is easy to establish from plugs. Seeds are expensive.
Broadcast seeds on the surface of the soil in late winter or
early spring.

Pink Muhly Grass, Hair-awn Muhly Grass / Muhlenbergia capillaris

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Medium-green, erect leaves 2 feet long
grow from a basal clump. The leaves are about 1/16 inch
wide and either flat or rolled inward. In the fall, masses of
airy, pinkish flowers are formed in loosely branched inflorescences,
up to 12 inches long. The flowers seem to float
like pink clouds above the foliage and make a dramatic
statement. The seed plumes are tan and persist throughout
the winter.

Cultural Requirements: Pink Muhly Grass prefers full
sun to partial shade and moist to dry, well-drained soil. Cut
the plant back in late winter to make way for new spring
growth.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Pink Muhly Grass makes a spectacular
showing when planted in groups of three or more plants in
perennial borders, wildflower gardens, roadsides, parks or
golf courses.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide

Habitat: Dry, exposed sites, such as rocky clay soils or
open woodlands and savannas, in the Piedmont and Coastal
Plain. It is restricted to calcareous outcrops in the mountains.

Native To: Massachusetts and New York, south to Florida,
west to Texas and north to Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.

Comments: Pink Muhly Grass and Purple Muhly Grass,
Muhlenbergia sericea (described below) are almost indistinguishable
except by their location and habitat. Pink
Muhly Grass is found in upland rocky and clay soils of
the Piedmont and well-drained soils of the Coastal Plain,
while Purple Muhly Grass is found in sandy areas between
coastal dunes. Another species, Savannah Hairgrass or
Cutover Muhly, Muhlenbergia expansa, grows in moist to
wet acidic bogs, pine savannah and flatwoods in the Coastal
Plain. Its flowers are similar to those of the other two species.

Characteristics: Glossy, wiry dark-green leaves 2 feet
long grow from a basal clump. In the fall, masses of small,
pinkish-red flowers are formed in loosely branched inflorescences,
up to 1 to 2 feet long. The airy panicles are
an intense pinkish-purple color and appear to float like a
cloud above the foliage, making a dramatic statement. After
flowering, the seed plumes turn tan and remain on the plant
throughout the winter. This species blooms somewhat later
than Muhlenbergia capillaris.

Cultural Requirements: Purple Muhly Grass prefers full
sun and sandy soil. It tolerates heat, humidity and a wide
range of moisture regimes. It adapts to dry sites and is
drought-tolerant. Cut the plant back in late winter to make
way for new spring growth.

Time of Bloom: Late September to November

Suggested Uses: Purple Muhly Grass makes a dramatic
showing when planted in groups in perennial borders, on
banks and dry, exposed, full-sun sites. It is an excellent
plant for use in parks, along roadsides or on golf courses.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 8, 9

Size: 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: Purple Muhly Grass is found in the Coastal Plain
on low-lying dunes, along the edges of brackish and freshwater
marshes and on barrier islands.

Native To: Coastal areas from North Carolina, south to
Florida and west to Texas.

Comments: The Gullah people of the Lowcountry in South
Carolina, descendants of enslaved Africans, have used
Purple Muhly Grass for centuries to make woven sweetgrass
baskets. During recent years, urban development and
over-harvesting have diminished the native population of
Purple Muhly Grass in South Carolina and forced basket
makers to Georgia and Florida to find an adequate supply
of the grass. This plant is often mistaken for Muhlenbergia
capillaris (and vice versa).

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Gary Wade

keepthemidlandsbeautiful.org

Gary Wade

Gary Wade

Nimblewill, Nimbleweed / Muhlenbergia schreberi

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is a small clumping perennial grass.
Leaves are 1 to 3 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide and
flat, somewhat resembling Bermudagrass. The upper leaf
surface has a prominent mid-vein and two lateral veins.
Culms are bent at an angle and sprawling. They are light
green to pale purple and hairy. In the fall, elongated panicles
of spikelets rise above the foliage. They are 3 to 15
inches long, 1 inch wide, purplish green and silky. Plants
spread by creeping culms that root at their nodes and by
seed dispersal.

Cultural Requirements: Nimblewill prefers full sun to
partial shade, moist to mesic conditions and rich loamy soil.
It is also adapted to acidic sands and moist rocky areas. It
prefers sites that have been previously disturbed.

Time of Bloom: Fall, beginning in October.

Suggested Uses: Nimblewill is one of the few grasses that
will thrive in shaded, moist sites. It can be used to suppress
the invasive exotic Japanese Stiltgrass, Microstegium
vimineum, which also thrives in shaded moist areas. Its
non-uniform growth habit makes it an undesirable turfgrass
alternative.

Habitat: Moderately moist rocky slopes and ravines, open
woodlands and along stream banks.

Native To: Throughout eastern North America, from Texas
west to Arizona and north to Utah and South Dakota. It is
found at elevations between 200 and 5,000 feet.

Comments: Nimblewill is on the noxious weed list in
California where it is not native. It is a good grass for
stabilizing soil and suppressing weeds, but it can be invasive
in turfgrass. Nimblewill is easy to establish from plugs
installed in the early spring or seed broadcast on the surface
of the soil in the fall.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Ohio State Weed Lab Archive,
The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Tim Murphy, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Tim Murphy, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Beaked Panic Grass / Panicum anceps (Syn. Coleataenia anceps)

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaf blades are elongated, flat, pubescent,
1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and up to 4 feet long. The inflorescence is
an open panicle, 6 to 14 inches long. Spikelets are 1/4 to 1/8
inch long. The second glume of the spikelet is curved at the
end and resembles a bird’s beak. Rhizomes are scaly and
resemble a chicken’s foot. The plant spreads by seed and
rhizomes and will form colonies.

Cultural Requirements: Plant Beaked Panic Grass in full
sun to partial shade. It is less aggressive in shade. It adapts
to a wide variety of soils and moisture conditions, from
very wet to dry.

Time of Bloom: July to September

Suggested Uses: Beaked Panic Grass is a good plant for
stabilizing disturbed erosion-prone areas. Its seed provides
food for insects and birds. It also can be used in open
woodlands and meadows.

Native To: New York, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Kansas and Iowa.

Comments: Deer may graze the seed heads but do not eat
the leaves. The seeds also are eaten by a variety of birds.
Birds, reptiles and small mammals use the plant for cover.
Beaked Panic Grass is sometimes planted in pastures for
grazing by cattle and horses. It is quick to establish from
plugs or bare-rooted plants planted in the early spring. It is
difficult to establish from seed. This grass is more common
in the Piedmont and mountains than Panicum virgatum (described below).

Characteristics: Stems are erect and hairy. Leaf blades are
strongly ribbed, flat, folded at their bases and hairy. They
are 8 to 20 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. The inflorescence
is a branched panicle borne at the end of the culm. Spikelets
are lance-shaped, 1/8 inch long and stalked.

Cultural Requirements: Plant Redtop Panic Grass in full
sun and moist to wet soil. It will grow at the edges of ponds
and doesn’t mind being flooded.

Time of Bloom: August to October

Suggested Uses: This is a wetland plant, so use it in moist
meadows or other areas that stay moist or wet.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 7, 8

Size: 2 to 4 feet tall

Habitat: Wet flatwoods, bogs, swamps and wet edges of
ponds and lakes where there are fluctuating water levels.
This species is common in the Coastal Plain and rarely
encountered in the Piedmont and mountains.

Native To: Maine to Florida, west to Texas and north to
Wisconsin. It is also found in California and Oregon.

Comments: Unlike P. anceps and P. virgatum, which
spread by rhizomes, this plant does not produce rhizomes.
Redtop Panic Grass is easy to establish using plugs or seed.
Seed should be broadcast on the surface of the soil in late
winter or early spring.

USDA, NRCS, PLANTS Database

Nancy Staunton, USDA, NRCS PLANTS Database

Switchgrass / Panicum virgatum

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is a clump-forming grass with a stiff
vertical form. Leaf blades are flat, 1/3 inch wide, 2 to 3 feet
long and glabrous. They are green in summer and turn pale
yellow in the fall. In late summer, pink-tinged, branched
flower panicles appear above the foliage like airy clouds.
The panicles turn beige as the seeds mature in the fall, and
the seed plumes persist well into winter. The plant spreads
by seed and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Switchgrass prefers full sun to
partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. It will adapt to
dry soils and both clay or sandy soils. It can be invasive under
ideal growing conditions. If seed dispersal and spread
are a concern in cultivated landscapes, it can be cut back
before the seeds are mature or confined to a specific area
where its spread can be managed.

Native To: Most of the continental U.S., except California,
Oregon and Washington.

Comments: Switchgrass is one of the most dominant
plants in tallgrass prairies of the central and western U.S.
Birds use the plant for cover and nesting material, and they
eat the seeds. Switchgrass also is a larval host for the Delaware
Skipper Butterfly and the Dotted Skipper Butterfly.
There are a number of cultivars of this plant in the nursery
trade, such as ‘Heavy Metal,’ ‘Cloud Nine,’ ‘Shenandoah,’
‘Northwind’ and ‘Dallas Blues.’ Cultivars used as forage
crops include ‘Alamo’ and ‘Cave-in-Rock.’ There are both
dry and wet ecotypes. Therefore, when collecting seed from
natural colonies, make note of the habitat where the plants
are growing. The offspring of plants growing on wet sites
will not grow well on dry sites and vice versa. Switchgrass
establishes quickly from either plugs or seed installed in
late winter or early spring.

Characteristics: Leaves are linear, up to 24 inches long
and ½ to 1 inch wide with silver hairs at their bases. They
are borne on tall reed-like stems rising 5 to 9 feet. In the
fall, silky silvery-purple panicles, 8 to 12 inches long, rise
above the foliage. They become more silver as they age,
and they persist into winter.

Cultural Requirements: Silver Plume Grass prefers full
sun and moist to dry well-drained soil. The plant self-seeds
readily, so deadheading is recommended to prevent seed
dispersal. Cut the foliage to the ground in late winter to
make way for new growth.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Plant Silver Plume Grass in open meadows,
open woodlands, fields or wildlife gardens. It is often
used for habitat restoration. It makes a dramatic statement
when several plants are used in the background of perennial
borders.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia up to 2,300 feet
in elevation.

Size: 3 to 9 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: Dry open sandy or rocky woodlands, slopes and
fields.

Native To: New Jersey, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois.

Comments: This is an attractive grass that should be used
more in landscapes. It is easy to establish from plugs installed
in late winter or early spring.

Cultural Requirements: Plant Giant Plumegrass in full
sun or partial shade and moist to wet soil. It adapts to both
sandy and clay soils. It makes a dramatic statement when
planted adjacent to ponds or in wet ditches. It self-seeds
and spreads by rhizomes, so dead-head it before the seeds
mature and plant it in a confined area where its growth can
be controlled.

Characteristics: Little Bluestem is a dense mounding
plant with fine-textured foliage and a distinctive blue-green
color. Leaves are 6 to 10 inches long and 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide.
In August, purplish-bronze flowers appear on 3-inch-long
racemes. They are borne singly or in pairs along a zigzag
rachis. The flowering stems have alternating nodes colored
wine red and green for a barber pole effect. The foliage
turns reddish-brown in fall.

Cultural Requirements: Little Bluestem prefers full sun
to partial shade and moderately moist to dry well-drained
infertile soil. It will not tolerate wet sites, but it will thrive
on poor soils. Mow or cut the plant to the ground in late
winter to make way for new spring growth. It re-grows well
after prescribed burns.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Use Little Bluestem in meadows, wildlife
gardens and on erosion-prone sites, such as rights-of-ways
and roadsides. Its small stature and bunching growth habit
make it a perfect grass for combining with other forbs.

Comments: This plant is a larval host for a wide variety of
butterflies, and it provides food, shelter and nesting material
for a number of birds and small mammals. The Coastal
Plain of Georgia, southeastern Alabama and the Florida
panhandle are home to several endemic species of Little
Bluestem. Pickett’s Mill Historic Site in Paulding County,
Ga., is an excellent place to see meadows of Little Bluestem
complementing legumes and other forbs in their natural
habitat. Little Bluestem is quick to establish from plugs
planted in late winter or early spring. It is slow to establish
from seed. If seed is used, the site must be completely clear
of other vegetation.

Characteristics: This is a clumping terrestrial (nonaquatic)
species. Stems are purple, erect or leaning, 14 to
28 inches long, with swollen nodes. They sometimes root at
their nodes when they touch the ground. Leaves are mostly
basal, flat, opposite, 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 2 feet long with
a few hairs at their bases. They often have a glaucous appearance
in early summer. Flowering culms rise to 3 feet
and bear terminal green panicles, 3/4 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3
inches long, that turn tan to brown as they mature. Spikelets
are subtended by four to seven stiff golden bristles, 1/8 to 1/4
inch long. Plants spread by seeds and rhizomes.

Suggested Uses: Knotroot Bristlegrass is used for wetland
and wildlife habitat restorations in coastal meadows
near salt marshes. It also can be used at pond edges and on
floodplains of streams and rivers.

Native To: Washington, Idaho, south to Arizona, east to
Florida and north to Iowa and New York.

Comments: Seeds are grazed by finches. There are several
exotic species within this genus, but only two native perennial
species: Setaria parviflora and S. macrosperma. Both
native species are found in upland and wetland habitats
such as fresh or brackish marshes. Knotroot Bristlegrass is
easy to establish from plugs or seeds planted in late winter
or early spring.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service,
Bugwood, org

Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org

John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University,
Bugwood, org

Slender Indian Grass / Sorghastrum elliottii

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Slender Indian Grass is a non-rhizomatous
clumping bunchgrass. Leaf blades are 8 to 21 inches
long and ¼ to ½ inch wide. The inflorescence is an open
arching panicle, 5 to 12 inches long. Spikelets are chestnut
brown when they mature. Seeds have twisted awns that are
1 to 1½ inches long.

Cultural Requirements: Plant Slender Indian Grass in full
sun to partial shade and dry to moist, well-drained sites.
This species tolerates more shade and less moisture than S.
nutans.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Because of its shorter stature and clumping
habit, Slender Indian Grass is a good companion plant
for forbs and legumes that grow between the grass clumps.
Use it in open woodlands, meadows and wildlife habitats. It
is an attractive grass for use in perennial borders of cultivated
landscapes.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia. In the mountains,
it is found in elevations up to 2,000 feet.

Size: 2 to 6 feet tall

Habitat: Dry or mesic open and shaded forests and sandy
terraces on river scour areas. The grass is rare in the Blue
Ridge Mountains.

Native To: Maryland, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Oklahoma. It is also found in Indiana.

Comments: Indian grasses have two stiff and straight
auricles (ears) at their ligules. This is a good way to distinguish
them from other native grasses. Slender Indian Grass
is easy to establish from either plugs or seed planted in late
winter or early spring. Its seeds have long awns that should
be removed before placing them in a seed drill.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Shirley Denton

Yellow Indian Grass / Sorghastrum nutans

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Yellow Indian Grass is a tall clumping
grass with green or blue-green leaves that are ½ inch wide
and 2 feet long. The leaf blades have a pair of prominent
auricles at their bases. The foliage turns orange-yellow in
the fall and is quite striking in the fall landscape. In late
summer, flowering culms rise above the foliage and terminate
in narrow feathery, light golden-yellow panicles up to
12 inches long. Seed clusters persist throughout the fall.
The plant spreads by seeds and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Yellow Indian Grass will grow in
sun or partial shade and is tolerant of a wide range of soils,
from sands to heavy clays. It requires abundant moisture
during establishment, but it adapts to both dry and moist
areas and tolerates occasional flooding. During dry periods,
bluish-colored ecotypes have a much more intense bluish
color. Mow or cut back plants in late winter to encourage
new spring growth. It comes back well after prescribed
burns.

Time of Bloom: August to October

Suggested Uses: Use Yellow Indian Grass in wildflower
meadows, open woodlands and wildlife habitats. It also is
an attractive grass for use in the background of perennial
borders. Its rhizomatous root system helps control erosion.

Comments: Along with Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem and
Switchgrass, Yellow Indian Grass is an important species in
tallgrass prairies. Cultivars used as forages include ‘Cheyenne’
and ‘Americus.’ Birds and small mammals relish the
seeds, and the plant parts are used for nesting materials.
The plant is a larval host for the Pepper and Salt Skipper
Butterfly. Yellow Indian Grass is the state grass of South
Carolina. It is easy to establish from either plugs or seeds
planted in late winter or early spring. The seeds have a
significant beard that should be removed if they are planted
with a seed drill.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

Bobby Hattaway

Richard Ware

Ed McDowell

Elaine Haug, USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Lopsided Indian Grass / Sorghastrum secundum

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This bunchgrass has flat leaf blades less
than 1/4 inch wide and 12 to 24 inches long. In September,
flower stalks emerge and terminate in panicles 6 to 12
inches long. The inflorescence and seed heads (spikelets)
are borne on one side of the stem (rachis), resulting in a
lopsided appearance. The spikelets are yellow and fringed
with white hairs, giving them a fuzzy silver-and-gold appearance.
Each spikelet terminates in a long awn (needlelike
projection). The plant spreads by seed and does not
produce a rhizome.

Cultural Requirements: Lopsided Indian Grass prefers
full sun to partial shade and moist, well-drained sandy soil.
It does not like clay soils. It self-seeds readily, so deadhead
before seed set if volunteer seedlings are not desired the
following year. Cut back plants in late winter to make way
for new spring growth.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Lopsided Indian Grass can be used in
wildflower gardens, open woodlands, meadows or wildlife
habitats. It is an attractive grass when used in the background
of perennial borders. If seed dispersal and spread
are a concern in cultivated landscapes, cut the plants back
before the seeds mature.

Comments: The plant is a larval host for the Delaware
Skipper, Dusted Skipper and Swarthy Skipper butterflies.
The species name for this plant comes from the Greek work
“secondi,” which means one-sided, referring to the way the
spikelets are borne on one side of the rachis.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

Hugh and Carol Nourse

Rough Dropseed / Sporobolus clandestinus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Rough Dropseed is a slender tufted grass
that remains inconspicuous until the seed heads emerge
in the fall. Culms are erect or arching, 12 to 30 inches
tall, with swollen nodes. Leaves are 2 1/2 to 12 inches long,
about 1/8 inch wide, rolled inward and hairy. In the fall, the
terminal flowers are borne at the leaf axils near stem tips.
They are somewhat inconspicuous and hidden by the leaf
sheaths. Flowers are borne in narrow spikes having 10 to 40
spikelets, 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. Glumes are lance-shaped with
greenish mid-veins. There is one fertile floret per spikelet
bearing yellow-orange anthers. Seeds shatter at maturity.

Native To: The eastern U.S., from New York to Florida,
west to Texas and north to Iowa and Wisconsin.

Comments: The genus name Sporobolus stems from the
Greek words spora, which means “seed” and ballein, which
means “to cast forth,” referring to the way the plant drops
its seeds at maturity.

N.L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Bob Harms, University of Texas

Prairie Dropseed / Sporobolus heterolepis

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Wiry, thread-like leaves, 1/16 inch wide
and up to 20 inches long, grow in a dense weeping clump.
The light green to yellow-green foliage turns orange-gold
in the fall and fades to light bronze in winter. In late summer,
flowering panicles appear on slender stalks that rise
above the foliage. The flowers are tinted pink or brown and
smell like coriander. Flowers are followed by tiny round
seeds that drop to the ground in the fall.

Cultural Requirements: This plant is easy to grow in full
sun and well-drained soil. It is slow growing and slow to
establish, so it may take three growing seasons to produce
a flowering plant. It adapts to a wide variety of soil types,
from clays to sands, although it prefers dry, rocky alkaline
soils. It has good drought tolerance once established, and it
does not like too much moisture.

Time of Bloom: August to September

Suggested Uses: The attractive foliage, fragrant flowers
and delicate seed heads are an attractive addition to perennial
borders, wildflower gardens, wildlife habitats or rock
gardens. It also is a good plant for open woodlands and
meadows.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 6a to 7a

Size: 1½ to 2 feet tall with an equal width

Habitat: Moist prairies, glades or woodlands with alkaline
soils. Prairie Dropseed grows naturally on the alkaline soils
of Chickamauga Battlefield in the northwestern corner of
Georgia.

Native To: Massachusetts, west to Montana, south to New
Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina.

Comments: This grass is considered by many to be one of
the most handsome of all the prairie grasses. The somewhat
similar Pineywoods Dropseed, Sporobolus junceus (described
below), is a good choice for southern Georgia. The
Plains Indians ground the seed into a tasty flour. The seed
are relished by a variety of birds. Flowering and fruiting is
enhanced with recurrent prescribed burns.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Ed McDowell

Missouri Botanical Garden

Missouri Botanical Garden

Pineywoods Dropseed, Sandhill Dropseed / Sporobolus junceus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: The leaf blade is primarily basal, less than
1/6 inch wide and 8 to 15 inches long with a distinctive bluegreen
color. A few hairs occur at the base of the leaf blade,
and the upper portion of leaf blade rolls inward, resembling
a long pine needle. The leaf sheath is round and longer
than the internodes. In early fall, bronze to purple branched
panicles, 4 to 6 inches long, appear in whorls at the top of
flowering stalks. The overall inflorescence has a pyramidal
form. Each branch results in one to three seed stalks. The
spikelets do not have awns.

Cultural Requirements: Pineywoods Dropseed prefers
sun to partial shade and moist well-drained sandy-loam
soil. It does not like wet sites.

Time of Bloom: September to October

Suggested Uses: Use Pineywoods Dropseed in moist
meadows, open woodlands or wildlife habitats. Its distinctive
blue-green foliage and striking panicles make it a handsome
grass for use in landscapes.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 8

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall

Habitat: Flatwoods, open pinelands and savannas, primarily
in the sandhill regions.

Native To: Virginia, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. It is also found
in Arizona.

Comments: Pineywoods Dropseed is grazed by livestock
during early spring. It provides food and cover for birds
and small mammals. The plant is enhanced by recurrent
controlled burns. It is a groundcover in the sandhill regions
of longleaf pine communities. Pineywoods Dropseed is
slow to establish from either plugs or seeds planted in late
winter or early spring.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service,
Bugwood.org

Purpletop, Purpletop Tridens / Tridens flavus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaves are alternate, 1/2 inch wide and
up to 12 inches long. The upper surface of the leaf is hairy
and rough. Each leaf is tightly rolled around drooping
stalks (culms). Culms terminate in maroon panicles, 6 to
18 inches long, that droop downward as they mature. They
are oily and sticky. Spikelets are 1/4 to 1/3 inch long and
purplish green when young, fading to brown when mature.
En masse, the plants impart a purple cast to fields. The root
system is fibrous and rhizomatous. This grass often goes
unnoticed until it flowers in late summer.

Cultural Requirements: Purpletop prefers full sun and
slightly moist to dry soil. It adapts to a wide variety of soil
types, from clay-loam to sand. It re-seeds readily.

Time of Bloom: Late summer

Suggested Uses: Use Purpletop in meadows, wildlife
habitats or dry sunny areas having infertile soil. Because it
self-seeds freely, it may not be a good choice for cultivated
landscapes.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 3 to 6 feet tall

Habitat: Prairies, old fields, savannas, meadows, roadsides
and open woods.

Native To: Vermont and New Hampshire, south to Florida,
west to New Mexico and north to Minnesota. It is also
found in California.

Comments: This is one of the most common native grasses
in Georgia. It is a larval host for a wide variety of butterflies,
and small mammals eat the foliage. Birds eat the seed
and use it for nesting material. Livestock forage on young
plants. Another common name for this grass is greasy grass
because it harbors tiny insects that emit a greasy substance
while they feed on the spikelets. Purpletop is easy to establish
from plugs installed in early spring. Seeds are slow to
germinate, but they are a cost-effective method of establishment.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

Ed McDowell

Eastern Gamagrass / Tripsacum dactyloides

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is a robust, clumping grass with
long, arching flat leaves, 1 1/4 inch wide and up to 3 feet
long. From May to September, finger-like flower spikes,
up to 10 inches long, are borne on stalks extending above
the foliage. Male flowers have orange stamens and female
flowers have purple stigmas. The plant spreads by seed and
creeping rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Eastern Gamagrass prefers sun
and moist, well-drained soil. It likes moisture and will
adapt to wet areas. Cut plants back to the ground after frost
kills the foliage. The leaves have razor-sharp edges so be
cautious when pruning the plant.

Time of Bloom: Late May to October

Suggested Uses: Plant Eastern Gamagrass in natural areas,
moist meadows, wildlife habitats or along ponds. It adapts
well to container culture. Its arching foliage, attractive
flowers and interesting spikelets make it worthy of landscape
culture.

Native To: Massachusetts, south to Florida, west to Texas
and north to Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Comments: Deer, birds and small mammals eat the seeds.
Birds, small mammals and snakes use the plants for cover
and nesting material. The plant is also the larval host for
the Byssus Skipper butterfly. Eastern Gamagrass is considered
an ancestor of corn. In open fields it grows in circular
clumps, leaving room in the middle for snakes that feed on
rodents that are attracted to the seeds. Always look carefully
when walking through an area of Eastern Gamagrass
to avoid being surprised by a snake. Eastern Gamagrass can
be established from plugs or seeds. Plant seeds in the fall
for germination the following spring.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia,
Bugwood.org

Karan A. Rawlins, University of Georgia,
Bugwood.org

Richard Old, XID Services, Inc., Bugwood.org

Cool-season Grasses

Ticklegrass, Small Bentgrass, Winter Bentgrass / Agrostis hyemalis

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Culms (stalks) are 1 to 3 feet tall and bear
three to four alternate leaves. Leaf blades are narrow, up to
1/8 inch across and 2 to 4 inches long. The bases of the leaf
blades are wrapped around the culms. In spring, flowering
culms terminate in a loose, purplish panicle of spikelets, 6
to 9 inches long. Spikelets have an open, airy appearance
and are quite attractive. Seed clusters often break when
they are dry and blow around like tumbleweed. The root
system is fibrous.

Cultural Requirements: Ticklegrass prefers full sun and
moderately moist to dry soil. It will grow in barren disturbed
sites containing sand or gravel. It re-seeds prolifically,
so cut it back and discard the clippings soon after
flowering if re-seeding is not desired.

Time of Bloom: Spring

Suggested Uses: Ticklegrass is commonly used in natural
areas, meadows and for reclaiming disturbed areas.

Native To: Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas and north
to South Dakota and Minnesota.

Comments: The wispy spikelets tickle bare skin when one
brushes against them, and the seeds hitchhike to new locations
on birds, animals and humans.

A.S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Oklahoma Biological Survey

Oklahoma Biological Survey

Giant Cane, River Cane, Switch Cane / Arundinaria gigantea

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Hard woody culms bear coarse, lanceshaped,
medium-green leaves up to 12 inches long and 1½
inches wide. The leaves have several pronounced bristles
where their leaf sheaths join the culm. Flowers are borne on
branched or unbranched stalks arising from the leaf axils
and consist of eight to 12 purple flowers. The plant flowers
infrequently, perhaps once every 30 years. The plants in an
established colony all flower at the same time, and mature,
seed-bearing culms die after reproduction. The plant
spreads by seeds and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Giant Cane prefers consistently
moist soil and full sun to light shade. However, it is widely
adaptable, growing at 2,000 feet elevation in the Appalachian
Mountains on moist sandy rock cliffs and mountain
slopes as well as rich alluvial soils of the Coastal Plain.
It also withstands temperature extremes, from -10°F to
100°F. When provided its preferred cultural conditions,
it will spread and naturalize, creating dense stands called
canebrakes. It can be aggressive, so to prevent its spread,
confine the plant to a pot or construct soil barriers to confine
the rhizomes.

Time of Bloom: February to March

Suggested Uses: Use Giant Cane for erosion control, as a
screen plant or adjacent to ponds and streams where it can
naturalize.

Native To: New York, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. It is primarily found
in the Southeast.

Comments: At one time, canebrakes of this plant covered
thousands of acres of rich bottomland throughout the
Southeast. Native Americans considered these areas prime
hunting grounds because they provided food and shelter for
a variety of mammals and birds.

A. S. Hitchcock, NRCS-USDA Plants Database

Ted Bodner, NRCS-USDA Plants Database

Ed McDowell

Ed McDowell

Missouri Botantical Garden

Ed McDowell

Hairy Woodland Brome, Common Eastern Brome / Bromus pubescens

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Culms are solitary or borne in small
clumps. They are erect and hairy. Each culm bears four to
10 leaves that are 6 to 14 inches long and ¼ to ½ inch wide.
They are slightly hairy on top and smooth underneath. In
May or June, terminal panicles, 4 to 10 inches long, appear
at the top of culms. Each panicle produces four to 11 spikelets
on short stalks that drop downward. Each floret has
pubescence on its glumes and lemmas and a pronounced
awn extending from its tip.

Cultural Requirements: Hairy Woodland Brome prefers
partial shade to full shade and moist soil. It does not tolerate
direct sun or dry soil. Cut back spent seed heads and old
foliage after bloom. Growth returns in the fall.

Time of Bloom: May and June primarily, but some may
flower in late summer.

Suggested Uses: Hairy Woodland Brome is used primarily
as a bottomland plant in streambank restoration projects.

Characteristics: River Oats is a clump-forming grass with
flat, bright-green pointed leaves 5 to 9 inches long and
1 inch wide. In summer, flowering stems rise above the
foliage and bear numerous flat clusters of spikelets 1 to 2
inches long and ½ inch wide. The spikelets hang downward
from thread-like pedicels in loose, open panicles.
The spikelets are green when young, tan when mature and
reddish-brown in winter.

Cultural Requirements: River Oats prefers partial shade
and moist, well-drained soil. It will adapt to both wet and
dry sites as well as poor soils. It self-seeds readily, so deadheading
before the seeds turn brown and mature will minimize
spread. Cut back plants in early winter to remove old
foliage and make way for new growth. It can be invasive in
a garden setting.

Time of Bloom: May to July

Suggested Uses: River Oats is a common ornamental grass
in the nursery and landscape trade. It is used in perennial
borders, wildflower meadows, wildlife habitats and rain
gardens. In its natural habitat along the sides of rivers, it
stabilizes sand deposited by rising waters.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia, generally less
than 2,200 feet elevation in the mountains

Size: 2 to 4 feet tall, 12 inches wide and spreading

Habitat: River Oats is a riparian species found on floodplains,
along streams and in moist woodlands adjacent to
streams. It also adapts to upland areas and garden habitats.

Native To: New Jersey, south to Florida, west to Arizona
and north to Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin.

Comments: Seed heads of this plant can be used in dried
floral arrangements. The seeds are eaten by small mammals
and birds, and the stems and leaves are used by birds
for nesting material. A similar species, Longleaf Woodoats,
Chasmanthium sessiliflorum (described below), has sessile
spikelets (attached directly to the main stalk (culm), while
those of C. latifolium are borne on short peduncles that
hang downward on the stalk. Also, C. sessiliflorum grows
predominantly in the Southeast while C. latifolium has a
much wider growing range and is found in the Northeast,
Southeast and Midwest. River Oats is easy to establish
from plugs planted in the fall. Seeds are slow to germinate.

Characteristics: Longleaf Woodoats is a clumping perennial
grass that forms tufted flowers along tall, wiry stems.
Leaves are upright, opposite, linear and medium-green. In
summer, flowering culms rise above the foliage and bear
sparse clusters of yellow-green flowers along their upper
half. Spikelets are sessile (stalkless) and attached directly to
the culm.

Cultural Requirements: Longleaf Woodoats prefers partial
shade and moist sites. Cut back the old foliage in early
spring to make way for new growth.

Time of Bloom: June to July

Suggested Uses: Longleaf Woodoats is a good plant for
areas managed by prescribed burns and for areas undergoing
streambank restoration. It also is an attractive grass for
use in landscapes and wildlife habitats.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Habitat: Moist hardwoods or pine woodlands and swamps.

Native To: Virginia, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Arkansas and Kentucky.

Comments: This plant is the most common mesic forest
grass in the Southeast. Although it is more common in
natural habitats than River Oats, Chasmanthium latifolium,
the latter species is more common in the nursery trade,
probably because it has greater ornamental value, a wider
growing range and better adaptation to dry sites. Longleaf
Wood Oats is easy to establish from plugs planted in the
fall. Seeds can be broadcast over the soil surface, but they
are slow to establish.

Silky Oatgrass, Downy Danthonia / Danthonia sericea

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Silky Oatgrass is a medium-size, densely
tufted gray-green bunch grass. The sheath that encloses the
culm and the leaves has prominent hairs that make it appear
silky. The panicle has a long peduncle with a terminal
group of spikelets bearing dense white hairs and awns up to
3/4 inch long.

Cultural Requirements: Silky Oatgrass prefers open, dry,
sunny sites or the filtered shade of tall pine trees. Clumps
usually have spaces between them where spring forbs grow.
Cut back spent seed heads and old foliage in the late fall to
make way for new growth.

Time of Bloom: May to July

Suggested Uses: Use Silky Oatgrass as a cool-season
meadow grass along with flowering forbs. It provides a
good backdrop for summer wildflowers. It also can be used
in open woodlands and wildlife habitats.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia. It is found predominately
in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain.

Size: 8 to 20 inches tall

Habitat: Open dry oak or pine woodlands, roadsides and
glades.

Native To: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania
and New Jersey, south to Florida and west to Texas.

Comments: Silky Oatgrass is a larger, hairier species than
its cousin, Poverty Oats Grass (described below). Silky
Oatgrass is slow to establish from either seeds or plugs.
Plant plugs in the fall. This species responds to prescribed
burns, particularly if it results in a reduction in the midstory
and/or over-story canopy.

Poverty Oatgrass / Danthonia spicata

Characteristics: This grass forms dense tufts of twisted
basal foliage. Leaves are medium green, 1/8 inch wide and
up to 5 inches long, hairless and twisted. Leaves tend to
twist more as they age. They turn tan in winter. Flowering
culms rise 1 to 1 1/2 feet and bear narrow terminal branched
panicles up to 2 inches long. Spikelets are 1/2 to 3/4 inch long
and not particularly showy.

Cultural Requirements: As its name implies, Poverty Oatgrass
thrives in infertile soils where many other plants will
not grow. It adapts to both sun and partial shade. It does
not like wet sites, and it does not tolerate competition from
taller plants. Cut back spent seed heads and old foliage in
June to encourage new fall growth.

Time of Bloom: April to May

Suggested Uses: Poverty Oatgrass is used primarily for
land reclamation, but it also has potential for use in landscapes,
such as dry areas of perennial borders or butterfly
gardens.

Native To: All of the continental U.S., except California,
Nevada and Utah.

Comments: Poverty Oatgrass is the larval host for the
Chryxus Artic butterfly and the Indian Skipper butterfly.
Like Silky Oatgrass, this species also responds to prescribed
burns. It is slow to establish from either seeds or
plugs. Plant plugs in the fall.

Cultural Requirements: Wavy Hairgrass prefers open
conditions at high elevations and partial shade in lower
elevations. It also prefers dry to moderately moist, welldrained
soil. The plant often turns brown during the heat of
summer, particularly at elevations less than 3,000 feet. It
does not like to be wet. Plants will self-seed, but they are
not invasive. Cut back spent seed heads and old foliage in
late summer to make way for new fall growth.

Time of Bloom: May, with seed heads persisting for several
months.

Suggested Uses: Use Wavy Hairgrass in wildlife habitats,
meadows, open woodlands or shaded areas of perennial
borders. It also can be planted in containers.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 7

Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and about 1 foot wide

Habitat: Throughout its northern range, Wavy Hairgrass
grows in rocky slopes and dry woodlands or disturbed sites.
In the southern Appalachians it grows at high elevations in
grassy balds and rocky summits.

Native To: The eastern U.S., from Maine to Georgia and
Alabama. It is also found in Arkansas, Oklahoma, North
Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Comments: Wavy Hairgrass provides food, nesting material
and winter cover for a variety of birds and small mammals.
It is a showy and tough plant that is easy to grow. The
seed heads add an airy touch to dried floral arrangements.

Characteristics: This is a prostrate summer-annual grass.
Leaf blades are wide, often exceeding 1 inch in width,
and reach 8 inches in length. They are said to resemble a
deer’s tongue. The bases of the leaf blades are heart-shaped
and hairy and completely surround the sheath. Ligules
are distinct, 1 mm in length. Leaf sheaths are light green,
longitudinally veined and hairy toward their tips. They pull
away from the culm at a 45 degree angle. Summer flowers
are pyramidal-shaped panicles, 3½ to 5½ inches long
and 2½ to 3½ inches wide, with a central rachis and lateral
branches. Spikelets are oval in shape, light green to greenish
purple. Panicles continue to emerge throughout the fall,
but they are smaller and emerge lower on the culm than
summer panicles and are often hidden from view. The root
system is fibrous and rhizomatous.

Comments: Several caterpillars feed on this grass, and the
seeds are eaten by many birds, especially sparrows, and
small rodents. The young foliage is grazed by cattle, horses,
sheep, deer and rabbits. It is considered a weed in pastures
and open hayfields in the Southeast.

Characteristics: This is a short, densely tufted bunch
grass. Leaves are mostly basal, but a few are born on the
lower portion of the culm. Leaf blades are 2 to 7 inches
long and ¼ to 1 inch wide. The lower internodes are shorter
than the upper internodes. Nodes are bearded with soft
spreading hairs. In winter the plant turns yellow-green to
chartreuse. Two sets of panicles are produced each growing
season. The first set, or primary panicles, are up to 6 inches
long and 1¼ to 3 inches wide, while the second, later
panicles are smaller and more compact.

Cultural Requirements: Open-flower Rosettegrass likes
moist areas in sun or partial shade and is adaptable to
infertile soils and disturbed sites. It is a tame grass and easy
to manage. However, it is often shaded and crowded out by
adjacent forbs, so it does require some regular preservation
efforts.

Time of Bloom: Primary panicles are produced in April,
while secondary panicles are produced from July to early
winter. They persist throughout the winter.

Suggested Uses: This grass can be found in many home
landscapes where it goes undetected. If left undisturbed, it
will slowly multiply and cover the ground. It is a nice grass
for perennial borders.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: Plants are 6 inches tall with bloom stalks rising to 12
inches

Habitat: Open woodlands and moist shaded areas. This is
a common grass in poor soils along roadsides and natural
areas.

Native To: The eastern U.S., from Pennsylvania to Florida,
west to Texas and north to Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois.

Comments: The attractive chartreuse foliage and nonaggressive
nature of this plant make it worthy of landscape
culture.

Velvet Panicum, Velvet Witchgrass / Dichanthelium scoparium

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This is one of the tallest and most coarsetextured
of all the Dichanthelium species. Its flat clasping
leaf blades are about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide. There
is a dense velvety pubescence on the internodes, sheaths
and leaf blades and a sticky band below the nodes. The
plant flowers twice -- in spring and late summer. Flowers
are loose open panicles, 3 to 5 inches long. Each spikelet
bears a single creamy white flower rounded at the tip.

Native To: Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania,
south to Florida, west to Texas and north to Kansas, Missouri,
Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

Comments: Velvet Panicum provides a source of food
for songbirds, small mammals and game birds. The basal
leaves provide winter forage for wild turkey. Although Dichantheliums are called Panicums, botanists have separated
them into a different genus from the true Panicums due
to their differences in foliage and flowering time. Plants
in the Dichanthelium genus flower both in spring and in
late summer and have distinctly different foliage in spring
and fall. Plants in the genus Panicum, including Switchgrass,
Beaked Panicgrass and Redtop Panicgrass, flower
only once yearly, and their vegetative appearance does
not change appreciably during the growing season. Velvet
Panicum is easy to establish from seeds or plugs planted in
the fall.

Eastern Bottlebrush Grass / Elymus hystrix (Syn. Hystrix patula)

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Eastern Bottlebrush Grass grows in loose
upright tufts. Leaves are narrow, rough-textured and up to
12 inches long. In late summer bristly flower heads, 9 to
10 inches long, appear on the terminals of culms that rise
above the foliage. The spikelets resemble bottlebrushes and
are quite showy. They fade to brown in late summer and
persist well into fall.

Cultural Requirements: Eastern Bottlebrush Grass prefers
partial shade to full shade and moderately moist, welldrained
soil. It adapts to a wide variety of soil types, from
sands to clays. It self-seeds readily, so dead-heading is
recommended if spreading is not desired. When plants go
dormant in late summer, cut them back to ground level to
make way for new fall growth.

Native To: Most of the eastern U.S., from North Dakota
to Maine, south to Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
It is also found in New Mexico.

Comments: The species name hystrix is a Greek word that
means porcupine, in reference to the bristles on the seed
heads that resemble the quills of a porcupine. Plants in the
Elymus genus can be distinguished by the ear-lobed leaf
bases that wrap around their attached stems. Eastern Bottlebrush
Grass is easy to establish from plugs or seeds planted
in the fall.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Hugh and Carol Nourse

Illinois Wildflowers

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Ed McDowell

Virginia Wild Rye / Elymus virginicus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This grass produces erect unbranched
culms bearing alternate leaves, 12 inches long and 2/3 inch
wide. The leaves are somewhat floppy. Each culm terminates
in a floral spike, 2 to 6 inches long, that is partially
enclosed in the upper leaf sheath. The inflorescence is a
dense cluster of upright spikelets having white or creamcolored
anthers. Plants spread by seed and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Plant Virginia Wild Rye in full
sun or partial shade and moist, well-drained soil. It adapts
to infertile soil on disturbed sites. It sprouts quickly when
planted in the fall. Cut old dormant foliage back in summer
to make way for new fall foliage.

Time of Bloom: May to June

Suggested Uses: Virginia Wild Rye is used for stabilizing
disturbed, erosion-prone soil. It does particularly well along
woodland streams and floodplains. It also can be planted
in meadows and at the edges of woodlands. It is a good
plant for areas where Japanese Stiltgrass, an invasive exotic
plant, has been eradicated.

Comments: Plants are a larval host for several species of
butterflies. Cattle graze on the foliage. Virginia Wild Rye is
easy to establish from plugs or seeds planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Dan Tenagli, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org

Dan Tenagli, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org

Dan Tenagli, Missouriplants.com, Bugwood.org

Fowl Mannagrass / Glyceria striata

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Smooth unbranched culms bear four to
six alternate chartreuse leaves 12 inches long and ¼ inch
wide. Each culm terminates in a panicle of spikelets 12
inches long and 6 inches across. The panicle is pyramidal in
shape with the longest branches at the bottom, tapering in
length toward the top. The branches of the panicles occur in
whorls of two to four and tend to droop downward. Spikelets
are small, purplish green and turn greenish yellow then
tan as they mature. The grass spreads predominately from
seed.

Cultural Requirements: Fowl Mannagrass prefers full
sun, partial shade to full shade and moist to wet loamy soil.
Cut back foliage in mid-summer to make way for new fall
growth.

Time of Bloom: April

Suggested Uses: Fowl Mannagrass is used for streambank
and wildlife habitat restorations, in floodplains, along
ponds, in moist meadows and other moist to wet sites.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 2 to 3½ feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: Wet meadows, marshes, bogs and ditches.

Native To: All of North America.

Comments: Fowl Mannagrass provides cover for birds and
small mammals. Canada geese eat the foliage. The greenish
yellow foliage and drooping floral spikelets are attractive
features of this plant. The grass is easy to establish from
plugs or seeds planted in the fall.

A. S. Hitchcock, USDA PLANTS Database

Illinois Wildflowers

Pittstate Herbarium

Illinois Wildflowers

Little Barley / Hordeum pussillum

Life Cycle: Annual

Characteristics: Little Barley is a tufted grass with several
branching culms originating from a center crown. Culms
are light green and slender with one to three leaves along
their lower half. Leaf blades are 3/4 to 2 1/2 inches long and
1/8 inch wide. They are bluish-green, hairless and flat. Nodes
are dark-colored and swollen. Each culm terminates in an
unbranched erect bristly spike of narrow, greenish-brown
spikelets. Glumes have pronounced awns. The root system
is shallow and fibrous.

Comments: This plant is a relative of the cultivated grain
barley (Hordeum vulgare). The seeds are valued by birds,
grasshoppers and a number of small mammals. The starchy
seeds were boiled, parched and roasted by indigenous people
in eastern North America before the arrival of maize.

N.L.Britton and A. Brown, USDA Plants Database

Larry Allain, NRCS-USDA Plants Database

Sam C. Strickland, Wildflowers.org

Illinois Wildflowers

Two-flower Melicgrass / Melica mutica

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Two-flower Melicgrass grows in loose
clumps. Some leaf sheaths have a smooth surface while
others are covered in downy fine hairs. Leaf blades are flat,
6 to 8 inches long and 1/4 inch wide. The flowering culms
have numerous branches and are 12 to 24 inches long.
Spikelets are 3/8 to 5/8 inch long. They hang downward and
give the inflorescence a one-sided appearance. The plant
spreads by rhizomes and seed. When seeds are ripe, they
shatter quickly.

Cultural Requirements: Two-flower Melicgrass prefers
shade and moist, well-drained soil. Growth begins in early
winter and accelerates in early spring.

Time of Bloom: March to May

Suggested Uses: Two-flower Melicgrass has attractive
foliage, and its flowering culms complement spring forbs
or ferns. Cut back the foliage after the seed heads shatter to
encourage new growth in the fall.

Native To: New Jersey, south to Florida, west to Texas and
north to Oklahoma. It is also found in Iowa, Illinois and
Indiana.

Comments: Two-flower Melicgrass grows in deciduous
forests where it gets sun, grows and flowers in early spring
before the leaves of trees emerge. Then, when the trees leaf
out and cast shade, the grass goes dormant. This grass is
best established from plugs planted in the fall.

Characteristics: Blackseed Speargrass is a dense clumpforming
cool-season grass with basal leaves. The leaves are
dark green, 4 to 12 inches long, 1/8 inch wide and weeping.
The underside of the leaves is scaly. Old leaves become tan
and curly. The inflorescence is an open drooping panicle
with single-flowered spikelets. Florets within the spikelet
are 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long and have twisted awns 2 to 3
inches long. Seeds turn black at maturity, and their awns
remain attached. After the seed heads shatter, the pale tan
glumes remain on the plant as it goes dormant in summer.

Cultural Requirements: Blackseed Speargrass prefers
dry sandy or rocky soil and full sun to partial shade. Seeds
with awns intact tend to germinate best; the awns twist with
changes in humidity and help the seeds anchor themselves
to the soil. Seeds shatter quickly when mature. Cut plants
back in mid-summer to make way for new foliage in the
fall. The plant goes dormant in summer, then new growth
begins in the fall and accelerates in late winter into early
spring.

Time of Bloom: April to May

Suggested Uses: Blackseed Speargrass is a nice ground
cover for dry shady hillsides in an oak/hickory forest. It
also likes open woodlands and meadows. It is quite attractive
in May when the young seed heads blow in the wind.

Native To: Massachusetts, south to Florida, west to Texas
and north to Michigan.

Comments: Blackseed Speargrass is the only native speargrass
species east of the Mississippi River. Children love to
harvest the stems and pretend they are spears. The awns of
mature seeds help the seeds stick to clothing for transport
to other locations. Seeds can be planted in the fall, but they
may take one to two years to germinate.

N.L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

James H. Miller and Ted Bodner, Weed Science
Society, Bugwood.org

Early Bluegrass / Poa cuspidata

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Early Bluegrass starts growing in the
early fall, with peak growth in winter and early spring. It is
a loosely tufted grass with short rhizomes. Culms are not
branched above their bases. The medium-green leaf blades
are 1/8 inch wide and 12 to 18 inches long with curved tips.
Panicles are erect, 2 to 6 inches long and pyramidal in
shape.

Cultural Requirements: Early Bluegrass likes sandy,
moist soil and partial shade. Cut the plant back after flowering
to make way for new fall foliage.

Time of Bloom: March to April

Suggested Uses: Early Bluegrass is a nice short winter
grass for shady moist areas of woodlands and wildlife habitats.
It will not overwhelm emerging ferns and other spring
forbs.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: 6, 7

Size: 1/2 to 2 feet tall

Habitat: Floodplains, stream banks and moist shady
slopes.

Native To: The eastern U.S., from New York, west to Indiana,
south to Louisiana and east to Georgia.

Sedges

Sedges, Carex and Scirpus spp.

The flowers of sedges are wind pollinated and do not rely on insects for cross pollination. The larvae of several butterfly
species rely on sedges as their food source, as do several species of grasshoppers and leafhoppers. The seeds are an
important food source for many upland bird species, including game birds, waterfowl and songbirds. All Carex species are
generally cool-season plants. Sedges are not grasses but Graminoids, a term used to describe grass look-alikes. All species
of sedges are clump forming.

Characteristics: This is a dense, clumping sedge with a
columnar growth habit and narrow, alternate leaves up to
24 inches long. Flowers are terminal spikelets that emerge
green, turn yellow, then turn brown as they mature.

Cultural Requirements: Like other sedges, Yellowfruit
Sedge prefers moist to wet soils in full sun or partial shade.

Time of Bloom: May to June

Suggested Uses: Use Yellowfruit Sedge in moist areas
along streams or ponds that experience seasonal flooding.
It also can be grown on upland sites if it is given constant
moisture. Its showy spikelets provide ornamental value to
moist or aquatic settings.

Native To: Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas and north
to Nebraska and Minnesota.

Comments: This plant is easy to grow and will naturalize
on moist sites.

N.L. Britton and A. Brown,
NRCS USDA Plants Database

Josh Sulman, Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Josh Sulman, Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

Cherokee Sedge, Bullsedge / Carex cherokeensis

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: This sedge grows in dense tufts and has
narrow, deep green leaves, 12 to 18 inches long. Greenishwhite
flowers in spring are insignificant, but the drooping
wheat-like seed heads are attractive and add interest to the
landscape. The plant spreads by rhizomes and seeds.

Cultural Requirements: Cherokee Sedge prefers partial
shade and moist soils having a neutral pH. It will adapt to
full sun, provided irrigation is available. Cut the plant back
to ground level in late summer to make way for new spring
growth.

Time of Bloom: March to May

Suggested Uses: Plant Cherokee Sedge in moist open
woodland gardens, perennial borders or on pond edges.
When given its preferred cultural conditions, it is an attractive,
low-maintenance plant.

Native To: Southeastern U.S., from South Carolina to
Florida, west to Texas and north to Missouri.

Comments: This plant has no serious insect or disease
problems. It is easy to grow and garden worthy. Cherokee
Sedge is best established from plugs or bare-rooted plants
planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Plant Delights Nursery

Lady Bird Johnson Wildlfower Center

Frank’s Sedge / Carex frankii

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaves are basal, up to 24 inches long and
1/3 inch wide, light green and rough along their edges. The
tips of the leaves tend to arch downward. Flowering culms
rise 2 1/2 feet and terminate in an inflorescence of three to
eight spikelets, 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Flowers
are either male or female. Female flowers have long styles
and long-awned rough bracts that give them a bristle-like
appearance. Male flowers are narrower than female flowers.
The plant spreads by rhizomes and seed.

Native To: New York, south to Georgia, west to Oklahoma
and north to Nebraska, Iowa and Michigan.

Comments: This is an attractive plant for moist environments.
Frank’s Sedge can be grown from seeds or plugs
planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Illinois Wildflowers

Mike Ryon, Oak Ridge
National Research Laboratory

Illinois Wildflowers

Southern Waxy Sedge / Carex glaucescens

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Southern Waxy Sedge is an erect, clumpforming
plant. Leaf sheaths are smooth and pinnately
veined. Leaf blades are 16 to 24 inches long and 1/4 to 3/8
inch wide. Flowering culms bear five to seven grayish-blue
spikelets, 2 to 4 inches long, that hang downward on stalks.
Twisted, reddish-brown floral remnants persist on the surface
of the spikelets.

Cultural Requirements: Southern Waxy Sedge prefers
full sun and moist to wet soil. However, it will adapt to dry
sites. It also adapts to a wide variety of soil types. Cut back
plants in the late fall or winter to make way for new spring
growth.

Time of Bloom: April

Suggested Uses: Use Southern Waxy Sedge along pond
margins or in moist meadows or floodplains.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: Bogs, pond margins, wet pine savannas and seepage
areas.

Native To: Maryland, south to Florida, west to Texas and
North to Arkansas.

Comments: The species name, glaucescens, stems from
the Greek prefix “glauc,” which means gray or blue-gray,
referring to the blue-green color of the seed heads.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service,
Bugwood.org

David Dunatchick - Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center, Austin, TX

Dwight K. Lauer, Auburn University,
Bugwood.org

Ed McDowell

Limestone Meadow Sedge / Carex granularis

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaves and culms are bluish-green.
Leaves are 12 inches long and 1/3 inch wide. In May, several
flowering culms rise above the foliage bearing five alternate
leaves. They produce one to two axillary spikelets of
pistillate (female) flowers, one to two terminal spikelets of
pistillate flowers, and a single terminal spikelet of staminate
(male) flowers. The pistillate flowers develop into threeangled
achenes. The plant spreads by seed and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Limestone Meadow Sage prefers
moist, well-drained soil and partial shade to full shade. It
likes alkaline soil with a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Cut back
the plant in winter to make way for new spring growth.

Time of Bloom: May

Suggested Uses: Limestone Meadow Sedge can be used
as a groundcover in moist sites and is an excellent plant for
rain gardens, bio-retention basins and ditches.

Native To: Maine, south to Florida, west to Texas and north
to North Dakota.

Comments: Limestone Meadow Sedge can be distinguished
from other Carex species by the grainy appearance
of the pistillate spikelets and the presence of both axillary
and terminal pistillate spikelets. The plant is easy to establish
from plugs or bare-rooted plants planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Charles T. Bryson, USDA,
Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Charles T. Bryson, USDA,
Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

Shallow Sedge, Lurid Sedge / Carex lurida

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Shallow Sedge forms a tuft of basal
leaves from which rise one or more culms up to 2½ feet
long. The culms are triangular and rough along their edges.
One to three alternate leaves, 12 inches long and ¼ inch
wide, are borne on the lower half of each culm. In May, a
terminal inflorescence bears one to four pistillate (female)
spikelets and a single staminate (male) spikelet. The pistillate
spikelets are yellow-green and bunched together under
the staminate spikelet. The staminate spikelet resembles a
corn cob as it matures, while the pistillate (female) spikelets
resemble small elongated footballs with spikes. The
plant spreads by seed.

Native To: The eastern half of the U.S., from Maine to
Florida, west to Texas and north to Minnesota.

Comments: Shallow Sedge can be established from plugs,
seeds or bare-rooted plants planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

S. L. Winterton, Aquarium and Pond
Plants of the World

Illinois Wildflowers

Pennsylvania Sedge / Carex pennsylvanica

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leafy culms, 6 to 18 inches long, have a
triangular shape and bear several alternate leaves throughout
their length. Leaves are arching, 1/8 inch across and 4 to
12 inches long. In spring, flowering culms bear a narrow
terminal staminate (male) spikelet, 1/2 to 1 inch long, and
two to three pistillate (female) spikelets. Each pistillate floret
within a spikelet has three white styles and is subtended
by a purple leafy or scale-like bract. Fruit are three-sided
achenes. The plant spreads by stolons that creep along the
soil surface and form new plantlets at their nodes.

Suggested Uses: The fine-textured foliage and creeping
growth habit make Pennsylvania Sedge a good ground
cover for erosion-prone sites and densely shaded areas with
dry soil. It should be tried as a turfgrass alternative in dry
shady areas under trees where most turfgrasses refuse to
grow. It is also useful in wildlife habitats.

Native To: Maine, south to Georgia, west to Mississippi
and north to Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and
North Dakota.

Comments: This plant provides seasonal cover and food
for small songbirds, insects and small mammals. It is deer
tolerant. It is difficult to establish from seed but easy to establish
from plugs or bare-rooted plants planted in the fall.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Scott Arboretum

Fern Hill Landscapes

Seersucker Sedge, Plantainleaf Sedge / Carex plantaginea

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Leaves are borne in a basal rosette. They
are broad, up to 1¼ inches wide and 12 inches long. Basal
leaves are pleated, giving it a seersucker appearance. The
bases of the leaves have a purplish tinge. Leaves along the
culms are short, reddish-purple tubular bracts. In spring,
green flowering culms rise above the basal leaves, each
bearing two to four erect pistillate (female) spikelets and
a single terminal staminate (male) spikelet. The spikelets
are widely spaced along the culm. Each pistillate spikelet
is ½ to 1½ inches long, cylindrical in shape and tinted light
purple at the tip. The lowest pistillate spikelet is borne on a
small peduncle (stalk) while the remaining ones are sessile.
The staminate spikelet is ¾ inch long and reddish purple.
Fruit are three-sided achenes. The plant spreads by seeds
and rhizomes.

Cultural Requirements: Seersucker Sedge prefers partial
shade to full shade and moist acidic soil high in organic
matter. It is susceptible to a leaf spot disease and aphids.
Propagate this plant by dividing the clumps in early spring.

Habitat: Seersucker Sedge grows in deciduous mountainous
woodlands, wooded slopes and ravines. It is a distinctive
member of fertile forest floors and can be found growing
adjacent to spring-flowering wildflowers.

Native To: Maine, south to Georgia and Alabama, and
north to Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Comments: This is a showy plant in the right habitat.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Ed McDowell

Online Plant Guide

U.S. Forest Service

Ed McDowell

Tussock Sedge, Upright Sedge / Carex stricta

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Smooth, narrow yellowish-green leaves,
3/8 inch in diameter, grow in dense clumps. Old leaves
wither, die, turn brown and accumulate around the base of
the plant. In late spring, flowering culms rise above the foliage
and bear reddish-brown spikelets. The plant spreads by
rhizomes to form large colonies.

Suggested Uses: Tussock Sedge is used in moist meadows
and moist open woodlands. It also is used for wetland reclamation
and wildlife habitats along streams, pond margins
and areas that get seasonal flooding. It provides a nice accent
in cultivated landscapes if it can be kept moist.

Georgia Hardiness Zones: All of Georgia

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Habitat: This is a wetland species native to wet swales,
marshes, bogs, wet meadows and creek margins.

Native To: The eastern half of the U.S., from Maine to
Georgia, west to Texas and north to North Dakota.

Comments: This plant grows in mounds called tussocks.
The tussocks trap water between them, helping other
aquatic plants get established. The plant provides cover for
breeding frogs, toads, salamanders and insects, and nesting
materials for a variety of birds, including ducks, small
herons, sparrows and geese. A number of birds and small
mammals feed on the seeds.

N. L. Britton and A. Brown,
USDA PLANTS Database

Morning Sky Greenery

Prairie Moon Nursery

Wool Grass, Cottongrass Bulrush / Scirpus cyperinus

Life Cycle: Perennial

Characteristics: Low-growing vegetative shoots bear
leaves ½ inch wide and up to 2 feet long. In summer, flowering
culms rise above the foliage and terminate in an inflorescence
4 to 6 inches long. It consists of many branchlets
that terminate in small clusters of spikelets. The spikelets
become reddish brown and wooly at maturity. They persist
into the fall.

Finally, the senior author expresses his heartfelt appreciation
to Elaine Nash, Ed McDowell and Brenda Beckham
for their expertise, patience and perseverance in developing
this four-part publication series on Native Plants for
Georgia.